


The Siege

by Xemriss



Category: Flight Rising, Original Work
Genre: Destruction, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Possession, Rebuilding, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-09-16 05:28:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 5,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16947885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xemriss/pseuds/Xemriss
Summary: In a sudden turn of events, The Iridium Apparitions are now led by Llainnaelayr, a selfish and knowledge-hungry imperial with little regard for morals; especially if he alone can benefit from a situation. The even smaller clan now strives to have the upper hand, and will use anything to their advantage — even each other.That comfortably-protected village is their next stop.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Wayfarer's Haven, my old clan in Light Flight, falls.
> 
> Unless otherwise stated, characters are in humanoid form.

_In a sudden turn of events, The Iridium Apparitions are now led by **[Llainnaelayr](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=2939603)** , a selfish and knowledge-hungry imperial with little regard for morals; especially if he alone can benefit from a situation. The even smaller clan now strives to have the upper hand, and will use anything to their advantage  ~~—~~  even each other._

_That comfortably-protected village is their next stop._


	2. Part 1

Dawn; calm skies, few out and about.  **[Vu](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=13723064)** , being one of them, is settled on the stone bench in his usual alley, and although he’s content with being alone, he can’t help but yearn for the presence of his boyfriend,  **Morpheus** , while he skims through his newest spellbook.

Wayfarer’s Haven’s wards hum with an overabundance of magic; a result of the maintenance they received from the male just an hour before. A side effect allows the illusion that they’re directly linked to him (and causes him to be  _much_  more sensitive to attempted manipulations, as well). Because of this, Vu’s able to sense a fast-approaching mass from almost directly above.

Stilling, he jerks his attention from the book to the sky; just in time to see,  _feel_ , a dark mass slam into the transparent barriers, hard enough to cause a visible ripple effect. The force immediately translates to that of being hit square in the diaphragm, without warning, by another’s arm, which effectively knocks the breath from his lungs. Mind momentarily blanking, Vu wheezes and doubles over, right arm reflexively flying to his chest. He coughs, struggles to recover while the inky, seemingly never-ending blackness wastes no time with spreading itself over the wards like melted chocolate, working to shroud the village from first light  ~~—~~  and prevent escape.

Breath evening out, his skin crawls as he silently realizes that they’re being attacked for the very first time. Vu haphazardly shoves the reading material from his lap as he rises, faintly registering the sound it makes as it lands on the stone-floored alley, and attempts to steel himself for the inevitable. Ears catching the beginnings of a small commotion faintly echoing off the stone buildings, he rushes off for  **[Katan](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=32936697)** ’s room in the residential district; relieved that his boyfriend  _isn’t_  anywhere near.


	3. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pororoca belongs to jacketyjackjack #222002 on FR.
> 
> Unless otherwise stated, characters are in humanoid form.

Having been awoken just moments before by  **[Valere](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=31672515)** , his day guard,  **[Katan](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=32936697)**  was already throwing on his guise as rapid, hard knocking sounded at the door. The imperial immediately opens it, revealing an out of breath  **[Vu](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=13723064)** , who’s struggling to keep his exertion hidden.

Katan turns to see who it is, then frowns as he glances past the defender into the unnatural dark; his stomach turning as old memories threaten to resurface. Vu sidesteps as the coatl wanders out of his room, the only light available to them emitting from the few hanging emberstones on either side of its entrance. Red eyes turning upward, the concern on his blotched face is great enough to mask his fear — for now. “…How long… How long will the wards hold?”

The dark-skinned male pauses, the tone of his reply suggesting that he’s not pleased with his answer. “I’ve never gone against it.”

Despite it not being what he was hoping to hear, Katan nods. The two imperials silently follow the shorter male as he heads for the next door over —  **[Sindri](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=15669481)** ’s room; wishes they had been able to hire a second guard for him. He’s briefly relieved to see  **[Pororoca](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=32463165)**  as the pair exits the room in question, dressed and alert; his son hovering close to her side while nervously fiddling with one of the many tassels hanging off his cover.

“Dad—”

Katan’s gloved hands reach out to the young skydancer as he stops in front of them and tightly close around the hand that’s fidgeting while catching Sindri’s confused gaze. “I’ll find you,” he firmly promises, missing the flurry of emotion that passes over his son’s face as he turns his attention to Pororoca, giving the hand a brief squeeze before releasing it. “Keep him safe. Vu…” he glances back at the other, “he’ll help you safely get past the barrier.”

Not waiting for a response, Katan turns away from his only family and begins heading back the way he came, Valere in tow, and forces himself to ignore his son’s panicked, final attempt to get his attention. “Dad! Dad,  _wait_!”


	4. Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unless otherwise stated, characters are in humanoid form.

**Shiva**  was gifted with a vision about the siege just days before, had Seen some of the members’ outcomes, yet kept quiet about it; decided to use the opportunity to their own advantage.

While the residents were unaware of the Haven’s impending end, they paced their room in anticipation, periodically glanced through the slivers in their windows’ curtains. When they noticed that the light seeping in had greatly dimmed, they donned their cloak, careful to not accidentally rub the fabric against the gills on either side of their neck, and headed outside. Bare feet touched cold stone as Shiva stepped into the artificial dark that felt like home, and with a quick glance to make sure they were alone, more as a habit than concern, made haste to  **[Kotono](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=30482136)** ’s room.

The Oracle quietly let themself in; saw the young girl contently asleep on her bed, unaware of the looming threat high above. Closing the door behind them, they padded over to the bed’s side and shook her awake, not bothering with gentleness.

“Wake up, child,” they demanded in a whisper as the form stirred.

“Sh-Shiva…?”

“Yes, dear,” they answered, a hint of their usual impatience sounding through. Moving to Kotono’s dresser as the other slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, they gathered a few sets of clothes into a bag before tossing a fourth onto the bed. “Up, now.”

“Why?” Kotono curiously inquired, a hand absently reaching for the fabric while the other rubbed the sleep from her eye. “What’s going on?”

“The Haven’s under attack. We have to go.”

The girl stiffened, stared at her mentor with wide eyes as the words sank in, then wrestled herself from the covers and scrambled to her feet, unfiltered questions flying from her mouth. “An  _attack_? On the  _Haven_? Are you sure, Shiva? What about Zaza? Are they okay?”

“ **Caelestis**  is fine. I was just visited by them and they asked me to get you somewhere safe,” Shiva smoothly lied.

“ _What_? No! I can’t just lea—”

“ _Kotono_ ,” Shiva snapped, firmly fixing her with a glare that promised severe discipline if she continued. Effectively silenced, the girl uncomfortably shivered and quickly cast her eyes to the rug beneath her feet, shoulders hunched in silent submission. Silently exhaling, Shiva stepped forward, brushed her long, silver hair out of her face before gently cradling her cheeks. “I’m sorry, dear,” they continued in a softer tone. “Get dressed. Caelestis asked me to see you to safety while they do what they can to help the rest. And before you begin: no, you aren’t going to join them.”

Knowing that arguing was futile when Shiva had their mind made up, Kotono rapidly blinked away the tears that welled up in her eyes, then dressed as fast as she could after the other turned their back. While forward about her own wants, upsetting her mentor was  _never_  something she enjoyed; especially with how unpleasant the punishments were.

“I-I’m ready.”

“Good girl.” The Oracle draped a travelling cloak around their student’s shoulders and pulled her hood up, her practicing crystal already tucked into a pocket. “Keep your head down. We stop for nothing and no one, no matter what.”

Kotono nodded without hesitation. “Yes, Shiva.”


	5. Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pororoca belongs to jacketyjackjack #222002 on FR.
> 
> Unless otherwise stated, characters are in humanoid form.

The growing commotion outside his room at the inn abruptly yanked him from a deep sleep.  **[Eleison](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=27702428)**  fought against consciousness until he couldn’t ignore the noise any longer, then, with rapidly growing annoyance, huffed out a sigh and forced himself to sit up to hear better. The rooms at the inn were normally soundproof, but he had specifically requested for his to not be when he first began renting one months ago; earned an odd look from the receptionist, but they complied without hassle.

Not receiving any useful information about the interruption from where he was, the mirror combed his hands through his bedhead of short, red hair in frustration, and pulled himself from bed. Already dressed since he slept in his clothes, boots included, he snatched his sword on the way out, securing it to his right hip. Up until now, the Haven — from what he had experienced first hand — had been peaceful and free of extreme threats; the main reasons why he had decided to stick around for so long.

Ignoring the other patrons, Eleison finally found the cause after he swung open one of the building’s main doors; felt the hairs on the back of his neck instantaneously stand on end as he stared up into the starless void. “ _Fuck_.” Not about to carelessly idle around until the protections decided to fail, he left in search of  **[Vu](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=13723064)**. Since the Shade wasn’t his forté in such large quantities, he needed to put as much distance between it and himself  _before_  things became messy.

With the aid of both his sense of smell and heat vision, it didn’t take him long to navigate the darkened stone streets and find the male, who seemed to be in the process of tending to the Haven’s, now compromised, safety net — unaware that he had  _just_  missed witnessing Vu safely escort  **[Sindri](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=15669481)**  and his personal guard,  **[Pororoca](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=32463165)** , through both the wards and the thin, black veil. Glad that Vu was alone, he slowed his walk, footsteps strategically placed to prevent being heard as much as possible, and drew his sword — just in case he had to use  _persuasive_  tactics.

He stopped when he was only a few feet away from the taller male; knew Vu was aware of his presence by the slight turn of his head.

“Drop them,” Eleison demanded, voice harsh. Vu turned to face him, body relaxed and expression neutral while lightning-colored eyes quickly took in the visitor. From what could be made out in the dim light, the mirror was a mere 5'7" — in comparison to Vu’s own 7’ — had white eyes, blotchy, contrasting skin, and two dark, striped markings over both cheekbones; what seemed to be minor, long-healed scars randomly marred his face and neck.

When the imperial’s gaze reached Eleison’s midsection, he finally tensed from the sight of the lowered sword. “No.”

The assassin’s grip on the hilt minutely tightened as Vu’s eyes snapped back to his face; knew right then that they’d have to do this the hard way, but decided to try once more. “We’re all but mallards, here. Drop. Them.”

A few long, tense seconds passed. Vu didn’t so much as twitch, just silently watched him. Eleison, not used to being defied, abruptly stepped forward, raised his weapon with practiced swiftness, and lightly pressed the cold metal against the left side of the other’s neck, where one of his main arteries sat. Despite the slightest hint of emotion flickering through the imperial’s face, he continued to hold his ground.

“The chance of survival for most of them will greatly decrease if the wards are removed without warning.”

“I don’t  _care_ ,” the male spat. Patience rapidly waning, he let the blade bite into Vu’s neck just enough to draw blood, saw his jaw clench. “You can’t hold it off forever. Drop them, or  _I_   _ **will**_.”

Vu, ignoring the wound’s sting, firmly held Eleison’s gaze. He refused to yield, to put his life before any of the Haven’s members — ones he swore to protect — just because his was threatened.

“ **No**.”

The blade moved.


	6. Part 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unless otherwise stated, characters are in humanoid form.

Despite being rusty with close combat, or combat of any kind for that matter,  **[Vu](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=13723064)** ’s muscle memory kicked in just in time. His left arm shot up to deflect the sword away from his neck, and he sharply inhaled as he felt it dig into the soft, unprotected flesh of his forearm instead.

A short hiss, both in surprise and frustration, escaped  **[Eleison](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=27702428)**  at the failed attempt, not having expected him to successfully defend, and drew back before it could touch bone. The scent of Vu’s blood — it faintly glowing the same blue as his eyes — quickly filled the assassin’s nose; highlighted both his blade’s edge and the fresh cut. Vu pulled his arm to his chest and covered the wound with his hand, body tense.

“ _Dammit_ ,” Eleison growled, annoyed that he had made the mistake of underestimating him. Flicking excess blood off his weapon out of habit, he gripped the hilt with both hands and swiftly aimed the next swing, horizontal, at Vu’s stomach — fully intending to, at least, disembowel.

The imperial, veins having flooded with adrenaline as soon as he noticed Eleison shift his focus, jumped back in a desperate attempt to dodge the potentially fatal swipe. He sharply inhaled once more as the weapon’s tip  _just_  grazed the length of his abdomen, and his hands blindly flew down to reassure that he was alright even before he managed to steady his balance — absently registered the wards at his back.

He knew that he couldn’t dodge Eleison all day, but only armed with what little magic he had left from tending to said wards this morning, he didn’t want to dip into his emergency reserves unless absolutely necessary —  _had_  to make his counter-attack count. Making it look as if he was preparing to heal himself, Vu kept his hands on his stomach as thin rivulets of green magic, emitting a soft glow, quickly began swirling around his forearms. The mirror’s brief moment of hesitation before his next attempt was all Vu needed, and he pulled as much magic as he could spare, blasting the shorter male square in the chest with enough force to send him, and his sword, flying.

Eleison landed hard on his back, sprawled, and with the breath knocked out of him. Dazedly forcing himself to roll over, he pushed himself onto his hands and knees, everything else all but forgotten while his lungs strained for air. As Vu crouched next to him — almost too casually — he finally registered a few sharp pains scattered around his sternum every time he inhaled. The illusionist silently wrapped his blood-smeared right hand around the blotchy-patterned throat, just firm enough to exude control, and forced Eleison to his feet as he stood, ignoring his sounds of protest.

Holding the sword in his left hand, the imperial slowly, easily, led Eleison — who struggled with as much strength as he could muster — backwards to the barrier. His jaw set as he felt claws desperately dig into his right forearm; the attempt only succeeding to make his grip tighten.

“L… let m… ‘o,” the assassin managed to choke out as they finally came to a stop, glaring, his breaths now shallow to try and compensate for the excruciating pain.

Vu paused just long enough to briefly lock eyes; his stare unusually cold and void of remorse from what he was about to do — a hint to days long put behind him — then complied to the request. In one swift motion, he roughly shoved his attacker backwards through both the wards and the Shade-veil — without proper protections — then lightly tossed the weapon after him, hilt first.


	7. Part 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unless otherwise stated, characters are in humanoid form.

The morning sun took its time with illuminating the forest around a small group of four that idled outside the darkened dome.  **Cherno** , with the vipera-patterned hide, sat on his haunches just a few feet away from it, eyes closed in concentration and wings flared. His front limbs were stretched out in front of him, palms up, and black, tattered-looking wisps lazily swirled around his form.

Cautious,  **[Llainnaelayr](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=2939603)** , the Apparitions’ leader, intensely watched him from a short thirty feet behind, kept his weight equally on all five limbs; eager to get started, as well as ready to bolt if things backfired. He was quite the sight; his obsidian-colored body was permanently decorated with beautiful, bright red markings.  **[Marama](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=1364522)** , abundantly adorned with various shades of blue, impatiently sat next to him;  **[Kafziel](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=19911911)** , looking worse for wear — especially compared to the others — diligently paced back and forth behind the pair, keeping watch as his master had commanded.

“How much longer is this going to take?” Marama finally questioned, not bothering to sugarcoat her skepticism in regards to Cherno. “We should be in by now. It’s  _never_  taken this long with the test runs.”

Llain gently shushed her, not bothering to spare a glance. “The one that’s responsible for them is  _quite_  generous with their upkeep,” he revealed. Having all but memorized the details of  **[Vu](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=13723064)** ’s early morning routine, he knew that the amount of magic witnessed going into the protections  _couldn’t_  be replaced until the next morning, which meant that their moment of attack was  _far_  from spontaneous.

“What if Cherno’s putting on a show? What if he can’t get through and instead turns the Shade on  _us_?”

Disapproval painted on the face they were set in, Llain’s pink eyes finally rounded on her, his tone displeased. “You sound like Kafziel when he’s trying to stall one of my experiments, and one of him is more than enough.”

“ _Don’t_  compare me to  _that_ ,” she spat, glaring at the larger imperial while a rush of blue-tinted smoke emitted from her mouth in annoyance. The aforementioned wildclaw paused his patrol just long enough to silently sneer at her, the unnoticed expression falling short from his lack of usable lips.

Llain gave Marama a hint of an apologetic smile. He secretly enjoyed pushing her buttons, testing how far he could nudge her at any given point before she pushed back — some days better than others. “Apologies, my Goddess,” the male humored, slightly nodding his head. “I didn’t mean it.”

“You better not have,” she threatened, seeming to calm down. He was curious as to why she was so antsy, especially since she  _always_  avoided getting herself dirty.

The Shade Manipulator, who now had an abundance of ribbons encircling him, sounded distant. “They’re falling,” he calmly announced, effectively drawing the other three’s attention back to him.

On cue, the over-strained wards surpassed their breaking point. Finally allowed to do as it pleased, the blanket of Shade quickly, silently, descended onto the village below.


	8. Part 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unless otherwise stated, characters are in humanoid form.

Glowing, green fingers gently caressed the length of  **[Katan](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=32936697)** ’s black-blotched cheek.  **Qeth**  had already attempted to rouse him twice now; would’ve left him to the Tangled Wood’s mercy if not for the odd pull that had led them to him, that firmly kept them from abandoning him now.

Curious, they turned their attention to the unconscious male’s body. Looking it over, they noted the state of him — his ripped and dirtied clothes, the slowly drying blood in a rainbow of colors that stained them. The suspicious absence of wounds made it impossible to tell the extent of his injuries — or if he even  _had_  any.

“ _Wake now, child_ ,” Qeth’s physical voice was a low, gentle rumble. Looking back to the peacefully sleeping face, they tried for a response once more by combing a hand through the stranger’s messed, dark blue hair, ghosting their fingers down his cheek and neck, then gently shaking him by the shoulder. Nothing. “ _It’s unsafe to rest in the wild_.”

The Wishmaker waited for  _much_  longer than they normally would for a mortal — especially one that they weren’t making a deal with. Intently watching for  _any_  sign that their attempts were working, they absently noted that the forest’s air seemed heavier — quieter — than usual. Qeth only set foot in the region willingly when they were summoned, but Shadow’s territory had  _never_  felt this eerie. Something terrible, even for the flight, must’ve recently transpired, and they didn’t want to wait around long enough to either find out for themself or attract attention.

Casting a long, sweeping glance into their surroundings, Qeth finally, fluidly, shifted into their dragon form. Not noticing a pink-stained sword lying nearby, they tentatively gathered Katan into their right front paw and took flight — headed in the direction for home, for Nature.


	9. Part 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor character death.
> 
> Unless otherwise stated, characters are in humanoid form.

**[Severus](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=32289389)** ’ eyes fluttered open as he slowly came to, right cheek pressed into the stone below him — pleasantly warm from his body’s heat. His head throbbed, body heavy enough that it would’ve pulled him back into sleep if not for something soft and brown being in his face. It took him a too-long moment to realize that it was fur from the headdress  **Karrakir**  constantly wore.

Confused, he tried to sit up, only to find that the feeling of extra weight wasn’t from his own body, but from something that was on top of him. Despite how much he ached, and how exhausted he felt, Severus desperately struggled to crawl forward, to quickly pull and wiggle himself out from under whatever was pressing down on him.

The librarian, now coughing and panting from exertion he wasn’t used to, but finally free, forced himself to his hands and knees. After giving himself a moment to compose, he carefully shifted to sit before turning to look — immediately wished that he hadn’t.

Karrakir laid there, face down, in the exact place Severus just was. Unmoving. He was generously covered in dirt, dust, and bruises — yet not a trace of blood to be found.

Severus’ breath hitched in shock at the sight of his friend, the environment around them all but disappearing as a result of the abrupt onset of tunnel vision. After a long moment of suspense, he hesitantly scooted closer, reached out with a trembling hand to gently shake Karrakir’s shoulder — was slightly comforted at it still being warm.

“K-Kir…?” he meekly prompted, his voice barely above a whisper. Severus thickly swallowed when there wasn’t a reply, barely held back the sudden taste of bile while panic rose inside him. Karrakir had always been boisterous, and even though it had taken Severus a long time to become comfortable enough to  _not_  startle every time he heard the library guard’s voice, he realized how much he now missed the sound; would do anything to hear it again.

The imperial anxiously scanned his surroundings, hoping to see another member of the Haven close enough to call out to, and almost wished that he hadn’t — again. His stomach dropped at the sight of the village — his home.

Many buildings were broken, some completely destroyed, and stone rubble of various sizes and shapes littered the now cracked and dented street. The atmosphere was too quiet, almost as if someone had frozen time, and he couldn’t help but feel alone — insignificant.

Returning his attention to the male in front of him, he managed to slightly tighten his grip on Karrakir’s shoulder. Taking a deep breath, he firmly shook him again, tone now holding a hint of urgency. “Kir. Kir, get-get up.  _Please_.”

* * *

It took Severus a long moment to fully register that there was a hand lightly resting on his shoulder in a comforting manner, and another moment to realize that he had been crying. He wasn’t sure for how long, and was too ashamed at being caught in the act to ask. Part of him absently wished that it was the Shade, returning to take care of any stragglers.

Quickly wiping at his now-damp face with his sleeve, and effectively smudging his white, freckled skin with more dirt and dust said fabric had collected, the librarian finally turned his head to look at who was connected to the hand. He immediately felt a wave of relief, of  _hope_ , at seeing  **[Niru](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34626121)**  — who’s plain, dark green pajamas were barely dirtied in comparison — kneeling next to him, his face alert with both stress and concern.

“C-can you h…?” Severus trailed off at the apprentice healer’s frown; felt his stomach sink and mouth go dry. He couldn’t bring himself to continue, but his gut told him that he had already known the answer to his own question.

“We’ll take care of him,” Niru promised, voice soft. “I’m sorry, Sev.”

Severus’ gaze slid back to his friend’s body, and he reluctantly gave a short nod in reply as his shoulders sagged in defeat. He made no move to get up, nor tried to stop the fresh wave of tears as he covered his face with his hands; sobs more broken than before.

Niru didn’t urge him to hurry, just silently waited by his side, the hand on Severus’ shoulder tightening.


	10. Part 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unless otherwise stated, characters are in humanoid form.

Due to  **[Vu](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=13723064)** ’s overcharged wards,  **Caelestis**  had more than enough time to erect a much smaller, blue-tinted domed barrier of their own near the Haven’s center. Silent as ever, the celestial being had sat in the middle of it while  **Allusius**  and  **[Zilujuh](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=2956259)**  herded as many panicked members and guests as possible towards them through the unnatural dark; easily enlarged said barrier when needed to comfortably accommodate everyone. The majority of the patrons directed were safely inside when the original wards couldn’t buy them any more time.

Able to sense where the survivors were hiding, some of the Shade rapidly swarmed the barrier after various sized globs heavily landed around them with wet, slapping sounds — set on attempting to overwhelm it as well. Unable to see anything beyond that point, the group huddling together had to rely on sound alone to try and discern what was happening to their home, to the ones that couldn’t make it to safety.

They heard roars and screams and cries, stone crumbling, explosions as buildings gave out; the scent of blood gradually permeated the air.

The ambush felt as if it went on forever.

It finally ended when a blinding, white light abruptly burst forth from an unknown source, seemed to force any and all trace of the Shade to evaporate — revealing the damage around them.

* * *

Other than the light commotion below from the Haven’s patrons easily being kept in order by Allusius and Zilujuh, it was quiet.

Caelestis, in dragon form, tentatively landed on the roof of one of the stone buildings that, miraculously, hadn’t suffered any major damage. Immediately shifting to their humanoid form to prevent stressing the structure further, they slowly took in the results of the attack; noted that, from their vantage point it—

“Reminds me of the Boneyard back home,” a voice came from their left. They didn’t startle, knew who it belonged to even before they glanced at the woman.

Allusius stood with her arms tightly crossed under her breasts, both sets of red eyes slowly scrutinizing the scene laid out in front of her. “It left us with a hell of a mess. The bath house still seems to be standing,” she supplied, nodding in its direction. “Surprisingly. Even though it’s not made to comfortably hold all of us at once, Zil and I will set everyone up around there after evaluating how safe it  _really_  is, and then we’ll send a few to help scout for survivors. Since we’re now an open target to whatever else is out there, you take first watch. We’ll divvy up schedules and defenses when the sun’s ready to set.”

Even though she wasn’t looking at them, Caelestis nodded; wasn’t about to argue.

After a long moment of silence, the Progen finally turned her attention to her colleague, her friend. “If you see anyone, let me know.”

_I will_.  _Did you see **[Kotono](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=30482136)**  before the wards fell?_ they signed, unable to ignore the nagging in the back of their mind any longer.  _I didn’t sense her pass through my defenses before Vu’s fell_.

Allusius frowned, hands sliding down to rest on her hips as she scanned their surroundings once more. “No,” she reluctantly replied. “We’ll find her, Cael.”

Caelestis hoped that she was right, that their daughter would be found alive  _and_  well.

Before Allusius had even finished shifting forms to glide back down and resume helping her mate with the clan, they anxiously began their watch — actively keeping an eye out for any glimpse of pink.


	11. Part 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unless otherwise stated, characters are in humanoid form.

**[Vu](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=13723064)** , having discounted his own aches and pains in favor of helping to look for unaccounted members (partly out of obligation and partly out of guilt for not having been able to fulfil his duty of protecting them) momentarily felt relief at finding one of  **[Katan](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=32936697)** ’s personal guards without much difficulty.  **[Valere](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=31672515)**  was unobscured, limply laid out on his back near what was left of the marketplace district — thankfully alive with how his chest rhythmically rose and fell — but it quickly faded into guilt after the illusionist got close enough to take in the state of him.

From what could be seen, the guard’s fair skin was littered with a myriad of ugly slashes and bruises; arcane-colored blood stood out against both his clothes and what remained of his dented, gold armor. His left forearm was missing just below the elbow — the stump much too clean to have been bitten or ripped off — and the critical amount of usual blood loss that would normally follow such a violent act was suspiciously absent. Kneeling by Valere’s right side, Vu carefully inspected it closer, despite not officially being a healer, and noticed,  _smelled_ , the telltale signs that it had been cauterized — though it was unclear of whether or not it had been deliberate.

“Shit,” he muttered in his usual monotone.

Shifting his attention to the unconscious male’s head next, dark-colored hands gradually became tinted pink as they slowly, gently, roamed down the battered body, briefly examining every visible wound on the way.

The male stirred while Vu was checking a long, yet thankfully superficial, slash that spanned most of the width of Valere’s upper chest. He ignored the strangled gasp that followed as the guard’s body spasmed — presumed it was from how overwhelming Valere felt.

“Shh,” Vu patiently soothed, not bothering to pause his examination (nor very good with comforting others). He noted that Valere neither opened his eyes nor tried to stop his hands. Both actions were normally expected, and Vu figured that he didn’t have the energy to spare — didn’t blame him, either.

“Wh… who’s it?” Valere finally managed to force out. The words, whispered, were barely discernible as they passed his lips.

“Vu.”

The imperial shakily exhaled in obvious relief at finding out that the one touching him was an ally. He began another attempt to speak, but succumbed to unconsciousness just moments later.

The impromptu check-up ended when Vu reached the fabric of Valere’s pants. Taking the information about his injuries with a grain of salt — and having suspected that there was at least a few broken ribs on the male’s left side — he carefully gathered the slightly shorter form into his arms and stood.

After briefly scanning the area for a sign of  **Emer** , Valere’s younger brother, or the Haven’s leader, he began the walk back for the temporary rendezvous point: the communal bath house.


	12. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wereth belongs to Avalonian #11466 on FR.
> 
> Unless otherwise stated, characters are in humanoid form.

**[Severus](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=32289389)**  was settled at the desk in his room, the only light illuminating from a few clusters of candles arranged in the upper corners of his desk. With a deep inhale, he finally put the quill to parchment — for the second time that night.

_It’s now been three weeks to the day since the attack_ , he started, his script almost  _too_  elegant for the subject matter.

_Unsurprisingly, things are nowhere near back to the way they were before — may never be. Most of the Haven’s still terribly frayed. Many members were unscathed by the collective efforts of our Sentinels ( **Allusius** ,  **[Zilujuh](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=2956259)** , and  **Caelestis** ), and the handful that weren’t so lucky are either on their way to recovery now, or are still missing._

_Even with all the residential buildings restored, many residents are still having a hard time sleeping — some need medicinal aid from **[Niru](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=34626121)**  and  **[Bishop](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=19299320)**. None have openly confessed such, myself included, but it’s clear that we fear for another ambush._

_**[Vuisk'ukje](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=13723064)**  continues to blame himself. I overheard him talking with Caelestis late one night last week — says that he “won’t be taking up such an important role after we’re settled in Light”. For what it’s worth, I don’t blame him — both for not wanting the responsibility and for the wards’ failing._

_After two straight weeks of near-constant searching, there hasn’t been a single hint of either **[Katan](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=32936697)**  or  **Emer**.  **[Valere](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=31672515)**  doesn’t yet know of his brother’s status since he’s still sporadically wavering in an out of consciousness. At least one person has brought up the theory that they’re dead, but after briefly voicing such and immediately being snapped at by Allusius, they’ve decided to keep their theories to themselves._

_Allusius and Zilujuh stepped up immediately after The Siege ended — as Acting Leaders to maintain order while efforts to clean up continued. There weren’t any objections to the change in leadership, possibly due to both shock and the fact that many of the members have known each other since the Haven’s origins in Plague._

_The Acting Leaders were quick to restore all buildings in the residential district only a couple days after the attack. Though we’ve been able to, in theory, sleep more comfortably at night, it hasn’t done much to alleviate the worry that’s been constantly permeating the air since then._

_**Karrakir**_  —

Despite how emotionally exhausted he was, Severus paused mid-stroke as the still-strong, now too-familiar emotion abruptly swept over him. Not wanting to get the parchment wet  _again_ , and have to rewrite it for the  _third_  time that night, he carefully returned the quill to its stand. Slumping back in his chair with a heavy exhale, the imperial gently wiped at his grey-freckled face with his sleeve, effectively catching the tears before they had the chance to travel halfway down his cheeks.

“C-come  _on_ ,” he whispered, briefly becoming frustrated with himself. He  _needed_  to get this section down — for his own sake, if nothing else.

The Archivist wished that his mate,  **[Wereth](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=464984)** , was there. When the emotion finally passed, he straightened up, took a few deep breaths, and continued.

—  _was finally laid to rest just two days earlier_ , he continued _. Allusius had sent **Jade**  off to look for  **Morana**  and  **Gladiolus** , who’re apparently well-respected funeral directors. He returned with them at the end of last week. I couldn’t have asked for a better, more caring, pair to take care of my friend._

_There were debates over the last couple weeks that concerned the changing of flights. In order to hopefully settle nerves and have a fresh start, and have a piece of mind by being closer to at least a couple of allied clans, we’ve agreed to move to Light. Final preparations are now being made, and we’ll be bidding farewell to Shadow before the end of this week. I don’t know how everyone else feels, but I’m relieved_.

Satisfied with the entry, and proud of himself for making it all the way through with only  _one_  break down, the imperial set the parchment aside to dry. After tidying up his desk, he stood and stretched, then shuffled away to finish packing up his room.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr ([ **@frxemriss**](https://frxemriss.tumblr.com/)) and twitter ([ **@xemriss**](https://twitter.com/Xemriss)) _!_ <3


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